The Flaw
by Jace1
Summary: What is the strange flaw that Max's little sister, Fran, developing? note: the wierd i's are for readers on the Dark Angel board, ignore okay?
1. Little Sister

Fran ran quickly and quietly through the back streets of downtown Seattle, under the night's cover. Her eyes darted from left to right, and looked far in front. Then she caught a glimpse of a man at the end of the alley-a Manticore soldier.   
Fran jumped into a doorway and froze as a searchlight swept down and past her. She checked out her options...running back down the alley would be futile-it was probably surrounded. But there was a fire escape on the other side of the street...Fran took this and ran across the alley...gunshots went off simultaneously. She grabbed on, and climbed fast up to the roof.  
The soldiers were hot on her heels, climbing fast behind her. There is nothing up here, Fran thought, no way back down the other side...Fran suddenly turned around, realizing that someone was on the roof with her...  
Fran was about to punch the pursuer, but when she saw the 21 year-old woman, she stopped...  
"Max?" Fran's eyes boggled.   
Max gave a feisty smile. "C'mon little sis, we gotta blaze."  
Max firmly grasped Fran by the waist, and removed a steel rope from her belt. She attached it to an iron rung nearby, and the other end she clipped to her side.  
Just as two Manticore men had reached the top, Max jumped off the side. The two soared downwards, and Max released at the closest point to the ground.  
Fran and Max hit the floor and rolled, then took off, away from the area now crawling with soldiers.  
"So..." Fran said, running side by side with Max, "how did you find me?"  
"Oh, I have contacts..." Max replied, and then stopped next to a dumpster. She pulled it away from the wall, and revealed a motorbike behind it.  
"Sweet ride..." Fran climbed on the back as Max put on her shades, and she started the engine.  
"Come on kid, we gotta see a friend."  
  
The bike roared through the streets of Seattle, passing the huddled groups of homeless families and the odd drunken man. The lights along the side of the road bathed the filthy sidewalks in a pale orange, creating an eerie appearance.  
Fran took in everything around her, the run-down buildings; the shelters on the sides of the road-she hadn't seen life after-pulse so bad. She guessed that was because she had been on the move so much. Like Max, she hadn't gone into a safe-location of Zack's choosing. Freedom is when you get do to what you want, when you want to do it, and that certainly isn't Zack's idea of freedom. His idea is 'staying low and covering your tracks'. Now, Fran usually covered her tracks well, but staying low meant not going out and not making contact. No thank you.  
  
Max stopped her bike outside a huge apartment block, and chained it up. Fran stared up - this can't be one of Max's contacts!  
They entered a lift and Max hit the button for the top floor.   
"Your friend, he lives in the PENTHOUSE?"  
"Would I settle for anything less?!"  
Fran grinned as the lift doors slid open, and Max strolled into this huge apartment. A young man walked up to Max and smiled.  
"Hey Bling" Max greeted him, "Where's Logan? Off saving the world?"  
"If saving the world involves cooking, then yes" Bling pointed to the kitchen, and walked off.  
Max poked her head around the screen and said something to her friend, Logan. By this time Fran had figured out that something was going on between these two. Max must be a lucky girl.  
Then a man in a wheel chair came out from behind the wall, and smiled at Fran then Max.  
"Hey, I'm Logan Cale, friend of Max...Fran, isn't it?"  
Max stepped behind Fran and placed her hands on her shoulders.  
"The youngest of our genetically modified family" Max said, and Fran suddenly pulled away and looked wildly at her.  
"You mean, he knows?"  
"Look, he found me out, I just wanted to steal some of his stuff and he caught me...look, long story" Max smiled at Fran, and put her at ease.  
Logan wheeled himself over to his computers and then turned to look at Fran.  
"Why come to Seattle?" He asked as he accessed the informant net. Max sat down on a couch and crossed her legs.  
"Well," Fran sat down next to Max and sighed lightly, "After our positions were compromised, I went to Zack for somewhere else to stay. He wasn't really 'happy' to see me, because I hadn't exactly been following orders, but he took me as far as Los Angeles, and gave me money and told me that someone would help me in Seattle. I have been trekkin' up to here for ages. God knows why, Zack seemed too willing to disclose the information to me, I kinda suspected that the person he was sending me to was one who he didn't like very much."  
Max looked a bit pi*s*d off for a moment, then shrugged.  
"Whatever. Anyway, I am glad that you are here lil' sis. We can set you up, like we did for Jace...right Logan?"  
"Hmm? Oh yeah sure...you are welcome to stay here tonight Fran. Max's place isn't a great place to crash, especially with Original Cindy around"  
"I will not take that personally..." Max said, looking in annoyance at Logan. "I think it would be better for you to crash here too. Cindy ain't the kinda girl who likes her space invaded"  
Fran pulled Max off the couch and out of Logan's study and whispered in her ear:  
"Are you sure about this?"  
Max hugged Fran, and smiled at her.  
"You gotta trust somebody in this beaten up world, why don't you start with Logan?" Max said, and she called to Logan that she had to leave.   
"Look, can I go too? I'd like to see what is keepin' you in Seattle"  
  
  
Max showed Fran into a small bar, filled with drunks, and a few Jam Pony employees. She moved smoothly over to a table where two guys and a girl were sitting, Fran moved up behind Max as she greeted her friends.  
"Fran, this is Sketchy," A tall thin guy waved to her, and winked. "Ignore him...this is Herbal and that's..." the girl stood up and ushered Fran to a seat.  
"Boo, this is Original Cindy, nice to meet ya"  
The other guy called Herbal gave a warm smile and shook hands.   
"Guys, this is Fran. She is going to crash at Logan's place until she gets a place of her own"  
"I see..." Original Cindy said, and looked at the empty beer pitcher. "Boo, will you get Original Cindy another drink, she needs to drown away her dislike of men"  
Max grinned and walked off the bar. Fran looked momentarily uncomfortable until Original Cindy broke the ice.  
She moved her chair closer to Fran's and rested her elbows on the table.  
"You stayin' at Logan's right? Cindy wants to know what the hell is goin' on with my home-girl and Wheels? I am fed up with the 'he's just a friend' crap"  
Fran laughed, and looked at the bar where Max was still getting the beer.  
"Yer, spill! We wanna know!" Sketchy said and also moved closer.  
"Well, I haven't seen much, but besides you guys, there is another reason she is stayin' in Seattle..." Fran revealed no more as Max approached the table with two full pitchers of beer.  
"Thanks boo"  
  
A few hours later everyone in the bar had left except the barman, the drunken crowd and Max and Fran. They sat at their table talking about their lives since the breakout.  
  
"....then this guy just picked me up off the road and took me in. No questions asked...I stay there for three years of my life, and no one asked whom I was, where I had come from. Their son didn't even ask what the tattoo on the back of my neck was when he saw it once. Of course I expected something, that's why I always had a backpack of food and clothing packed under my bed incase I had to leave. I didn't move simply because I felt loved for once in my life...though when I was 17 I left in the night after I overheard my adopted father talking to...to Lydecker on the phone. Then the bubble burst and I moved. I wondered around for a couple of months, and finally found a good place to lie low for a while.  
That's when Zack found me. How, I don't know, I guess I didn't cover my tracks enough...but he set me up in a small town west of Michigan, and there I stayed for a while, you know, making friends, getting jobs, generally livin' free. I got bored soon, I just couldn't get used to the way Zack always checked in on me. So I moved. Didn't tell him where I went, I drifted from place to place, not staying anywhere for more than a month. I finally settled in a place I liked and told Zack where I was. He wasn't please, I tell you that. I hung around there for a while until the Eyes Only broadcast said that our positions had been compromised. Then I went to Zack again...and you know the story from there."  
Fran lent back, and let her long brownie-blonde hair flop down.   
"Zack told me about your life on the way up here. I am surprised you haven't moved much...how have you been in contact with other X-5's?"  
Max laughed. "You'd be surprised. Zack has come to me on occasions to help break out our sisters and brothers, but Logan has picked up odd pieces of info and fed it through to me most times. That's how I found you, lil' sis."  
"This Logan guy sounds like he's a good person...are you two...?"  
"Seein' each other? I see Original Cindy didn't hang around in tellin' you..."  
"No, actually. I kinda picked that up from just seeing you two"  
Fran gave a mischievous grin, and watched Max get up.  
"We movin'?"  
Max nodded, and turned toward the door. Fran waded her way through the heaps of chairs and people tangled up in them and followed her out into the cold night air.  
They began toward Logan's apartment, when they came across three guard-boxes in the middle of the street. Max didn't slow because these were empty usually, the Government didn't pay for cops to sit on their backsides all day.  
But on approach, one cop walked out from the right box.  
"Stop. Lets see some ID"  
Max put on a sweet smile and walked up to the officer. But he suddenly looked away, back into his box where a picture of a girl looking like Max was posted.  
"Wait...you!" These were the only words that escaped his mouth before Max planted her foot in it. As he fell another man exited the middle box, and switched on his radio and called for back up. Lydecker's voice came over it, stating to take them alive.  
"You ready?" Max asked, and with a nod from Fran, they took off in different directions.  
Fran took on the guard, who had no time to reach for a weapon as he was knocked solidly in the legs.  
Max ran first to the guard box, which was empty, but she saw a jeep coming toward them. Max signaled for Fran that they should move, but the Manticore pack had caught up. Two X-5's for the price of one, who'd miss that...Max signaled to Fran, the chase was on...  
Fran jumped up onto the middle box and somersaulted into the Jeep and knocked out a couple of soldiers before they brought out their tazers. Max jumped into the passengers seat and said, as she slammed on the handbrake and kicked the guy in the neck, "Hey, would you stop by my place on the way?"  
She then sprung into the back and knocked out the remaining guy who's leg had been broken by Fran.  
"We kick a*s!" She exclaimed and jumped out of the jeep. She started down the street again and called for Fran to come.  
Fran climbed down but stopped, as Lydecker's voice came over the radio.  
"I do this for your own good Fran. I know you're there and I won't stop until you and Max are brought in. You don't think that your fault will go away, do you? You need to come in otherwise it will start again and..." his voice was silenced as Fran turned the radio off shakily. She put it in her pocket, close to her. Just for security...she then ran after Max, back to Logan's apartment.  
  
  



	2. The Flaw returns

Morning came over Seattle, casting a red-orange light over the dusky, dirty streets and roads. People in the shelters all over town stirred, and winced as the bright radiance streamed in through every crack and window.  
Fran pushed her head up to the glass, and stared out at the rising sun. Again, the thought of freedom popped into her head. She looked to that horizon and saw many possibilities for her future, but her past always seemed to catch up with her, in one way or another. Either it was Manticore, Zack or some other problem that she had tried to run away from. Now, another had caught her up, one that she had hoped had gone. Her body shook suddenly, and with a shaky hand she pulled out her Tryptophan pack. She threw down two pills, and fell onto her bed, and drew her knees up to her face. They had been getting worse over the last months, and coping had been difficult, alone. But now, she had Max...and Logan as well.  
Fran began to shake so much that she fell onto the floor, making a slight thud. She closed her eyes, and wished herself away. Moments of immense vulnerability were few and far between, but when they happened all the mental barriers Fran had erected around herself vanished.  
Footsteps came running down the hall, and as Fran looked up she saw the guy Max had called Bling opening the door. He immediately ran back, and she heard him calling for Logan. She shook more violently, and shut her eyes again. Voices and noises echoed in the background, but as Fran felt her consciousness slip away, they disappeared.  
  
iZack's voice...no, now it was contorting, being warped...something about...a helicopter above...then it was lost. Then two other voices floated in, one indiscernible, the other Brinn's.../i  
  
Then the haziness snapped away, and Fran's eyes focused.  
  
Logan and Max were standing over her bed, deep in conversation. Fran pulled herself up, and Max came over to her side.  
"Hey little sister, how are you feeling?" She said, with a concerned look on her face. Logan wheeled over to Fran as well, and furrowed his brow.  
"Bad seizures?"  
Fran nodded, even though she knew that the seizures were also due to...something else. She wanted to tell Max, but she wouldn't understand, and it wouldn't achieve anything. There was only one person, one place that could fix it, but that was not an option. Winning the fight is was in her genetic make-up, giving up and retreating wasn't.   
"Been like that for a while now. Dunno why." Fran shrugged it off. Logan fell for it, but Max wasn't so sure, Fran saw it in her eyes. She got up, and stretched her arms. Max headed toward the door, Fran trotted after her.  
"You going already Max?" Logan said to her as she headed toward the lift doors. Fran caught Logan's eye as she followed Max, and he smiled warmly at her.  
"Yeah, Jam Pony doesn't run without me!" She joked, and turned to Fran. "Stay here okay? Rest and eat! Logan makes good casserole"  
Logan smiled, and wheeled himself into the kitchen, as Max walked out the door.  
  
Late afternoon with Logan was good for Fran; his charm and warmth seemed to make her more comfortable. They ate and made small talk, Fran grew more relaxed every time Logan flashed his smile, and as he cooked more pasta salad for the both of them she probed more into his relationship with Max. After all, it is a sister's job to check out their siblings...Ifriends/I  
Fran adjusted her position in her chair, and rested her head on the palm of her hand. Logan brought over another steaming pot of pasta, and dished out another ladleful onto Fran's plate. He took himself up to the table, and Fran looked at him.  
"What?!" He asked, trying not to look back at her.  
"You like her. Why?"  
Logan put his fork down gently and turned head to look uncomfortably at the wall.  
"Why'd you ask?" He said.  
Fran saw that he was not happy talking about this, but she wasn't going to stop now.  
"Because I wanna know your intentions"  
Logan couldn't help but laugh and look at her. He was having a personal conversation with a genetically enhanced mutant, but yet, she was a igirl/i being a little too inquisitive.  
"We are friends, nothing more. Simply...business partners I guess. So your question," He paused, "really isn't...valid"  
Fran grinned, and rolled her eyes.  
"Wow. You really know how to avoid answering tricky questions...don't you?"  
Logan smiled slightly, and finished off his pasta. Fran stood up, and stretched. Logan cleared the plates away, and wheeled himself into his computer room.  
"I got a bit delayed in finding you another alias...you should be on your way by tomorrow" Logan informed her. But when he turned around, Fran had already disappeared. He shrugged, and set up his equipment ready for another Eyes Only broadcast.  



	3. Fran's choices

Fran stumbled into her room, clutching her head. Her eyes strained to see where she was going, and she felt for the window. It had come on suddenly, and she just had to get away from Logan. The window slid open, and she jumped out into the roof of a neighbouring block of flats. Her legs gave way, and she knelt on the hard tiling. The noises echoed back and forth, and as Fran looked up, eyes glazed over, she heard one voice, loud and clear in her mind.  
  
Itwo units utilized...third required...sending in X-63832.../I She heard Brinn's after-thoughts and subconscious ideas, some repeated again and again. Then others joined hers, and Fran felt like her head was going to erupt with all the noise.  
  
She crumpled herself up, and tried to ferret out which of the mass jumble of thoughts were hers. After a while, they died away slowly, and Fran felt strong again. She stood, and before anyone saw her, she jumped off the roof, down to the alley below.   
The radio was still tucked in her pocket, and without hesitation, she pulled it out. When she switched it on, it picked up the chatter of Lydecker's soldiers. It was worth a try.  
"Lydecker"  
She released the button, and waited for a reply.   
"Lydecker" she repeated, and this time she got him.  
"Who is this?" he asked. One part of her hated his voice, but another was relived to hear it.  
"Fran"  
There was a pause, and then noise of background crackling grew louder.  
"Where are you?" Fran laughed at this; he didn't really think that she would tell, did he?  
"Why is this happening again?" she asked.  
"You must come in, just give me a location and I can pick you up," his voice seemed to be filled with concern, but Fran knew that he would be putting it on.  
"Tell me"   
"We won't know until you Icome back to Manticore/I" Fran looked at the radio, and, in a sudden fit of anger, threw it down onto the ground, where it smashed.  
With tears in her eyes, she held her head. Zack was echoing around in her mind, angry subliminal thoughts and messages that just wouldn't go away. Damn him.  
Fran stood up, and walked slowly out of the alley, into the busy streets. She looked around, and saw various groups of people just standing around, obviously with nothing better to do. As she scanned the various stalls that were dotted around, she saw a bike lent up against the wall of one of the houses. As she walked over to it, she saw that it had a small symbol of a man on a bike on a pack on the side, the same that Max's friend Original Cindy had on a bag the night before.  
Fran waited there until a small girl came out with a pad in hand.  
"Hey, can you tell me where Jam Pony is?" Fran asked, "A package of mine that I sent through you never got to its location, I wanna chase it up."  
The girl shyly nodded, and gave directions.  
  
"Look boo. Original Cindy ain't gonna take no for an answer. You are spendin' a quiet night in wit me so we can get your hair sorted out. It needs a good brush to it" she said, and pulled slightly at Max's hair as they took off their bags and sat down near the coffee machine.  
Max looked Cindy directly in the eye and smiled.  
"My hair is fine. Look, I don't have time to sit around and do nothin'. This girl's gotta..."she stopped as she saw Fran walk through the door, " 'cuse me"  
Max got up, and ushered Fran into the locker area.  
"What brings you here? Got tired of Logan already?!"  
"No, just thought that I'd see where you are for most times of the day."  
Max sat back down with Original Cindy, and Fran too.   
"Hey Fran. Look, this girl won't listen to Original Cindy, maybe to you she will. Tell her that instead of runnin' around most of the day kickin' @ss, that she should stay home and indulge herself."  
Fran opened her mouth to speak, but a tall, thin man came up behind Max, and looked at her in annoyance.  
"Come on people, enough of the box social. These packages don't deliver themselves"  
"Normal," Max said as she turned to him, "what the hell is a 'box social'?"  
He ignored this point and looked at Fran for the first time.  
"Who is this? No, wait. I don't care. Just take this and deliver it Inow/I. Come on, bip bip bip!"  
Both Fran and Max rolled their eyes, Original Cindy made an excuse to leave. Normal threw the parcel to Max, who grabbed her bike and indicated for Fran to follow. They walked out of Jam Pony, with Normal yelling at them every step of the way.  
  
Max and Fran walked side by side, bike in tow. On the way out, Sketchy arrived back after spending two hours delivering a package.  
"Yo Sketchy, deliver this for me, please?" Max said, fluttering her eyelashes. Fran looked on with amusement, but then whispers in her head started up again. She bent over in pain, Max crouched down by her side.   
"What is it?" she asked, with concern. Sketchy also bent over, and had Max's package stuffed into his arms. "Deliver it," she said as she pulled Fran up, and took her away.  
  
Max dialed Logan's at the nearest phone booth, and told him to pick them up. She didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, Fran needed help, fast.  
  
"What do you think is wrong with her?"   
Max and Logan were sitting in the living room of the penthouse, drinking coffee together. Max held her cup tightly, worrying about Fran, who was sleeping in the other room.  
"I dunno. I don't remember her seizures being so bad..."she broke off, as a train off thought ran through her head.  
  
IBack in Manticore, Lydecker was talking to us, we were all tired and standing in line. Fran had been getting strange seizures, and during Lydecker's speech, she fell to the ground, screaming for the voices to stop. We didn't know what was wrong, and we sort-of expected for her to be taken away and killed, due to a defect. But Lydecker ordered for her to be taken straight to Medical, and treated there until well enough to be put back in training.  
Her screams for help echoed in our heads, a memory that was so vivid.../I  
  
Max shook the thought off. Logan looked inquisitively at her, but Max just waved him off.  
  
In the next room, Fran was awaking. There was silence in the room, and in her head. Fran held her breath, so that this stillness was not destroyed. She realized that this was Logan's...someone must have brought me here, she thought. Fran climbed slowly out of bed; all her abilities seemed to be dulled down. Then she realized that the voices had not gone, they were there, clogging up everything. All the backwash of thoughts were hanging around, not causing pain at the moment but generally annoying her.  
  
"Ahh..." she whispered. Small noises niggled in the back of her head, but she still got up and walked out the door.  
Max stood up, and rushed over to her little sister, embracing her.  
"Tell us what is happening,"she whispered into Fran's ear, "don't shut us out."  



	4. Reflection

Fran was faced with two decisions: Manticore or Max.  
The flaw that she had been faced with since birth was back, and it really was messin' her head up. Manticore could fix that, but that would mean giving up all that she had fought so hard for...then there was Max and Logan. As Fran looked up into Max's brown eyes she saw her sisters love and care reflected in them...  
  
"I...can't" Fran said, and pulled away from Max, and walked over to the window. It was raining hard, with many black clouds covering the sky. Logan and Max looked at each other, worried.   
Fran put her head gently on the window, and tried to shut out the foreign voices and emotions. Then a strong feeling shot through her body, and she dropped to the floor. As Max rushed to her side, Fran sorted through her head to try and figure out who's thought that was...then it hit her...  
  
Ish*t...five units...I not getting out of here without...duck and evade...damn you Brinn.../I  
  
"Zack..." Fran said, and turned to Max with fear in her eyes, "Zack's in trouble, he being taken in..."  
Max didn't understand what was happening, but when she saw the worry and dread written across Fran's face, she knew that Zack was really in trouble.  
"Logan," she said as she got up, "we need to find him, can..." Logan interrupted, with a look of disbelief on his face.  
"Max, can I talk to you for a moment, please?"  
Logan lead Max out of the front room and into the computer room, and he looked up at her is if she had gone mad.  
"Are you sure about this? Fran gets weird seizures and suddenly she comes up with the idea that Zack is in trouble and you take it and jump?!"  
"Look Logan...I don't have any idea what is happening to Fran, but I believe her. Please, if you can't trust her, trust me."  
Logan sighed.  
  
"Can you give us anymore information, any locations at all?" Logan asked as he wheeled himself back into the living room.  
"No...but I have something that may help you track him down"  
She stood up.  
"Zack gave me a phone number, in case Logan screwed up or something" At this point Logan raised his eyebrows, and took himself into the computer area. He had had enough of Max's 'family', they only caused trouble half the time.  
"Fran!" He called through the door, "give me the area code, I maybe able to track the place down."  
Fran ran into the computer room and watched as Logan narrowed down the areas in which Zack could be.  
"Wait, Fran," Max said from the living room. Fran popped her head around the side of the screen, "Zack's not stupid. He won't let us find him that easy. Even if we get a place, he will be nowhere near there by now."  
"Okay...from what the area code says, his contact point is in the North Colorado..." He was interrupted as the phone rang, and Max picked it up. Her eyes darted up to look at Fran, and she quickly put it down and grabbed her coat.  
"That was Zack. You were right, he's in real trouble, and his position's been compromised. He's coming to us."  
Fran started to pull on her shoes, but Logan came over and placed his hand gently on hers.  
"Where do you think you think you're going?"  
Max turned around and looked at Fran.  
"I agree with Logan. You knows what will happen if you overdo it kickin' @ss."  
"I am a genetically enhanced girl, I am made for fighting and not layin' around in bed ill, I am going, I can't believe we're havin' this conversation!"  
Logan sighed. Yeah, under all that genetic material is still a kid, who doesn't know when to quit.  
"Look at it this way, if you do fall mid-battle, you will become a burden to the rest of us." Max said logically. "You will be no good injured."  
Fran hated to admit it, but she was right.  
"Look, I gotta blaze. Get better, lil' sis"  
  
MAX  
  
Wow, everything has happened so fast.  
Again, thanks to Logan, he managed to track down another X-5 that had made their way to Seattle. At the time, I didn't know why, but for some weird reason all the X-5's seem to walk right into my lap. Looks like Zack trusts me more than I thought.  
  
When I think back to my days in Manticore, it always makes me feel cold. We were all happy to of escaped, but Fran...Fran I guess didn't understand what we had achieved.  
  
Fran was the youngest of all the X-5's, and the most powerful of the entire group. She always had more body strength and slightly more agility. Why? None of us really knew. Fran always was very mysterious, and when she was taken out of training exercises in class, she never told us what she did.  
Yeah...Lydecker always had extra interest in her activities and progress. He often took her out of our room early, and returned her late into training.  
Fran was always the headstrong one. She kinda took after Zack in a strange way, hell; I hope he's okay.  
  
I grab my bike, and turn it on. The sound of her engine is like music to my ears. Wait up Zack; sista's coming to save your sorry @ss.  
  
LOGAN  
  
Off again to save a friend, that's my Max. And she accuses me of being the Blah Blah Woof Woof kind of person.  
I can't get what's the matter with Fran. She seems to be emotionally unstable, wow; I never thought that I would say that about a genetically perfected kid.  
These seizures have to be a flaw in her 'design' of some kind. Only Lydecker would know what it is, I guess...  
I am such a...of course, Lydecker. Let's give him a call...  
  



	5. There's no place like home

MAX  
  
Cruising through the streets of Seattle isn't as bad as it sounds. Thanks to the Pulse, there is little to no traffic and hardly any cops to slow ya down. Okay, Zack should be around here somewhere, he said near the ports.  
This has to be the first time Ihe's/I called Ime/I. Hey, in a way, I don't blame him. Maxy, his rogue little X-5. The one who doesn't follow orders. So what? Bite me.  
  
What the f**k? Okay, a helicopter just flew above, thanks for the signpost Lydecker. Okay, put my bike away, and run the rest of the route down to the docks.  
  
LOGAN  
  
The equipment is set up, and my anti-tracking equipment ready. Fran is back in her room, if she weren't so mature, I'd say that she was sulking.  
Okay, hacking into his system isn't too difficult...let's leave my calling card into his mainframe that should get his attention. That was quick; he's ready to talk...  
"This is Eyes Only. I need information." Okay, kind of dumb thing to say, but I haven't got time to p*ss about.  
"Oh, and what would the great Eyes Only want to know?" He voice came in loud and clear over the speakers, so much so that the immense sarcasm in his voice could be detected.  
"I want to know what the flaw is with Fran"  
A large pause. He didn't expect that.  
"What do you know about X-57484?"  
"That she is experiencing strange seizures, I want to know what is wrong with IFran/I"  
Another large pause. I am not being too tactful about this...  
"How do you know her...oh I see. Max is one of your 'contacts,' and as a friend of Max's, you care about her, so in turn you care about Fran. You are in way over your head Eyes Only. Fran is different then the other X-5's. Tell me where she is. Now."  
At this point I see that this is going nowhere. And Lydecker is quickly tracking me down, so I pull the plug. Damn.  
  
MAX  
  
There he is. I climb slowly up the building, to get a better view. Five soldiers, two jeeps, one helicopter. Ready, set, go...  
I jump off the second storey of the building, and land on two of the five soldiers. Zack, who was cornered by the Manticore men, leaps over and breaks the leg of one while I knock out the two I landed on. With a high leap, I kick one of the guys in the head, and wind him in the chest. Zack deals with the one left over, and gets into one of the now empty jeeps. He hotwires it, and yells for me to get in. The helicopter above zooms over, and releases rounds of machine gun ammo at us. Zack pulls the jeep in one direction, then the other, and with a screech of the tires, goes off down the alleyways of the buildings.  
  
FRAN  
  
My head is hurting again; I can't sort out who is in my head this time. This has gone too far; I am fed up of being weak and useless.   
Out the window I go, using the door is so cliché! Hell, Logan is knocking.  
"Come in"  
Logan wheels in, with a worried look on his face.  
"Fran. As a friend I care for you. Please tell me what...is the matter with you"  
I feel tears arise in my eyes. I turn around from the window, and drop onto the bed.  
"Logan, you have been really kind to me over the past few days...okay. You wanna know?"  
  
Fran took a deep breath, and started her story.  
  
"It started back in Manticore, obviously. When I was very young, about 7 or 8 I think, Lydecker took me apart from the others. He asked me whether I had been hearing strange things. But he said not from the people around me, but in my head. At this time I had no idea what he was talking about. But like a good little soldier, I told him that I would tell him if such an advent happened.   
Then, a year later, I was in the middle of listening to an instruction lecture by Lydecker, a strange...feeling hit me full on. Then I heard all the other X-5's, talking away in my head, literally. Lydecker took me to Medical, and held my hand all the way through the procedure to correct it...he was always like that, around me. But, the correction didn't last long. When it started again, Lydecker took me apart from the others again, and told me what it is"  
  
Fran paused; she could feel that Max and Zack were coming. She had to get this done soon.  
  
"He said, that there was a flaw in my design. The chip, which is placed in every X-5's head at birth, had malfunctioned. Somehow, it had connected itself to different parts of the brain, and fused with them. Also...it had started to act as a one-way radio, in a way.   
You see, all the other X-5's chips 'pick up' thoughts and ideas that are not stored in the long term memory part of their brains; so, afterthoughts are stored in the chip, and when an X-5 dies, it is removed, and the brain activity examined.  
But...all chips operate on a frequency; it emits a large EM field, which my chip picks up. So the chip, in turn, places their thoughts and ideas in my short-term memory. Causing...havoc. I can't sort out whose thoughts are who's and which are mine...it is, killing me."  
LOGAN  
  
I can't help but be amazed. This 'flaw' was bigger then I thought...no wonder Lydecker wants her back in.  
  
"Fran, from what I can tell from what you've told me, this flaw looks like..."  
  
Fran interrupted, with angry tears in her eyes.  
  
"Just another Manticore experiment. They couldn't risk breeding a whole line of kids with this new chip in their heads, so they tried it out on me...it's had some interesting side-effects too...the chip seems to be stimulating different parts of the brain that effect speed, strength and agility. How...I don't know. All I want is for it to stop..."  
  
I really felt sorry for her, the pain written across her face was reflected in her eyes...she had curled herself up, and I could see her trembling.  
  
"I want to be alone, please Logan"  
  
Fran really was a child stuck in an adult's body. I guess that she needs to think things over, so I leave, and hope that this...flaw, somehow fixes itself.  
  
FRAN  
  
DAMN YOU ALL! The voices will not go away, no matter how hard I try...why don't you all just shut up...  
  
I open the window again...Logan sidetracked me, and so did Max.   
  
Out into the alleyway, everything is quiet...no, wait. A helicopter is circling above, Max and Zack are coming. No matter, I won't be here when they arrive.  
  



	6. An Ally Fallen part1

Manticore

Manticore.

How good it feels to be back.

Two months here and I am stronger then ever.

My flaw was put under control when Lydecker brought me in.After I told Logan what my problem was I decided to leave Max and return to my home.

I went to the outskirts of Seattle, and called Lydecker.Back then, I wanted to protect Logan's position, and not endanger Max.I was so weak.

But Manticore fixed that.Lydecker picked me up, just as my head had started pounding with the noises of my brothers and sisters.He took me back, and put me into Medical for three weeks.Now, the chip works to my advantage.Sorting through the disorderly thoughts is much easier now.Three X-5's have given away their position in the last month, and Lydecker brought in two of them.

My training has been stepped up, my body adapts to the punishment faster then my comrades, so I am better then them.

Soon I will have my first outside mission.And I will have the chance to bring in one of the rogue X-5's.

Watch out brothers and sisters, Fran's going to bring your sorry @sses in.

Lydecker sat in his office, watching the camera's placed in the main training area.His X-5's were doing tag-team fighting, except that one team was comprised of one person; Fran.

Lydecker watched as the combined team of Krit and Bren converged on Fran.She adopted a stance, and waited from them to make the first move.Krit jumped quickly over Fran while Bren threw two punches at Fran's face.Fran reacted by blocking Bren's punches then executed a sidekick to knock back Krit.Fran then blocked a spinning crescent kick from Bren, and grabbed her leg, and pulled her round to hit Krit.But he was prepared, and jumped aside, but Fran had counted in this possibility.

With Bren down, it was one on one.Fran ran toward the wall, and using her agility, ran up it part of the way and flipped herself backward.In a flash, she had Krit over on his back, dazed.Lydecker stopped the real time recording, and took the video back.

He hit the slow button, and watched as Fran grabbed Krit by the shoulders, and as her feet hit the ground she threw Krit over her head.

Lydecker sat back in his chair.Fran was ready to go outside Manticore, and he had no doubts that she was loyal to him.She would bring in the X-5 that had been dodging his patrols for the past year, Max.

Fran lay quietly on her bunk in the room the X-5's were assigned.She stared up at the ceiling, and closed her eyes, and slowly sorted through the voices in her head.

"X-57484, Lydecker wants to see you"

Fran glanced up at the guy at the door, and got up off the bed.She was escorted through the corridor, and up to Lydecker's office.

Lydecker looked up from his work as Fran walked in.He sent the soldier away, and indicated for Fran to sit down.

"I have an assignment that I want you to lead," Lydecker said, "You will have control of two units, each with four soldiers.I want you to bring in an X-5 that has been evading me for too long, X-..."

Fran knew what he was about to say,

"Max."

Lydecker paused, and lent back in his chair.

"Will you be able to complete this with out personal involvement?"

That was a question that Fran wasn't sure if she could answer.Max was a problem, one that had to be fixed if they were ever going to complete their primary mission.She looked at her hands, then up at Lydecker.

"Yes.I will bring her back home."

Lydecker nodded, and pulled out another folder, and passed it over to Fran.

"We have reason to believe that Eyes Only is somehow involved with Max.When you apprehend her, I want you to track down and dispose of him, quietly.You understand?"

Fran knew that it would come to this.Returning to Manticore had many calculated risks, and this was one of them.She was here to complete what she was made for, hunting and killing.Some guy is going to get creamed because he made Manticore business his.

Fran opened the file and saw various pictures of this guys scrambled retina pictures, and as she flipped through the photos, she found one of Logan.

Without giving anything away, she asked who this was.

"A contact, we think.He was spotted being held captive by a group of terrorists, along with Detective Sung of the police dept."

So somehow Logan is mixed up with all this ... wait, its finally clicked.

The way Max knew I was coming to Seattle, Logan's computers, how he was going to set me up with a new identity, and now, these pictures linking him to Eyes Only...of course, Logan is Eyes Only...

Fran passed the pictures back.

"When will the operation start?"

"Tomorrow, 08:00 hours."

Early the next morning:

The area around Manticore forest seemed a dead black as the sun rose slowly, and the shadows cast by the trees caused the woods to look eerie and dark.Fran and her two units drove slowly down the road to the gates, past the small river that ran through the wooded area.

The barricades lifted, and the road stretched far in front of Fran.Her hair, now just below her shoulders, whipped back as the jeeps sped down the tracks.

Max would be at Jam Pony or Logan's.Either way, she wanted to deal with Logan last.Fran felt the urge to see the look on his smug face when he finds out that Max has been recaptured.There are no regrets, there is no hesitation.Just the instinct to kill.

Max looked at the entrance to Jam Pony, and checked her watch.Herbal Thought was late, yet again.

"Bet he's stoned!" She laughed at this comment from Original Cindy, and dumped her pack on the floor.

"Come on people, bip bip bip!"

Max shot a 'you say that again and you die' look at Normal, who backed off toward the entrance to Jam Pony, where he looked down the alley.

"Look people, I don't pay you to stand around and gawp!"

Max and Original Cindy walked over to Normal, and saw what he and most of the other employees of Jam Pony was looking at.Two jeeps filled with Manticore soldiers coming down the street...with Fran leading the way.

For a second Max froze.It would only be a matter of time before Fran became one of them again, and told them where she was.Though, Max had hoped that Fran hadn't been re-captured, that she had just left and gone somewhere else.Guess she was wrong.

Original Cindy looked in Max's direction, but she was already gone.

Max could hear her own heart beating as she ran quickly down the back way of Jam Pony, and she jumped onto the roof of the place next to Jam Pony.She looked around, and saw the jeeps coming down the road next to her.She lay down on the gritty housetop, and listened until they drove past.

"Get off the ground sis"

Max jumped up, seeing Fran for the first time.She looked for any expression on her face, but she saw just the coldness and evil that Manticore tends to pump into you.

"Why did you go back Fran?"

"Because dear sister, I was ill.Not something that you or Logan could of solved, oh, speaking of Logan, how is the famous Eyes Only?"

Max didn't give anything away in her face.

"You know?How?"

"I joined the dots, Max.Look, I ain't here to make small talk.You are coming back home, big sister."

Without another word Fran jumped forward and engaged Max in hand-to-hand combat.Fran released all the hate and envy that had been building up Max and all the other X-5's out on her.She threw kick after punch, Max blocked as best she could.

Fran kicked out Max's leg, and she fell to the floor.Max pulled herself up again, with all the weight on her other leg, she hit Fran hard in the side.Fran took it and kicked out Max's other leg.This time Max couldn't get up. 

"Fran, please don't" Max said as she struggled to pick herself up.

Fran looked down coldly at her, and their eyes met.Fran saw the fear and pain in hers, and then she remembered the day of the escape.

Zack assigned me under Max's protection, and when we all split up she took me across the icy wasteland and into the forest.

She told me not to worry, that we really would escape and be free.

When one of our group was tracked down and caught, we hid under the ice until the soldiers moved.

Then we were separated.I was left alone to escape by myself; somehow I got past the perimeter.

I will never forget what Max said to me before we split up:

"I know that we will see each other again, just remember, your big sister will always be here."

Fran saw the love in her eyes, and as she bent down, she cradled her big sisters head in her arms.

"Get away from her!"

Fran looked up, and saw Zack standing on the roof in front of her.He had a magnum aimed at her, and Fran knew that she had to leave.

She hugged her sister for the last time, and whispered her ear,

"Thank you"

In a flash Fran was up, and Zack let off rounds of ammo at her back.But Fran was too fast.She dived off the building and rolled on the ground below.She knew that Zack wouldn't follow, and she looked for one of her units.


End file.
